Manny Pacquiao steps up his preparations for the Juan Manuel Marquez rematch when he hooks up with Pinoy trainer Buboy Fernandez today in Gen. Santos City.
Fernandez is flying in from Bicol this morning, and in the afternoon will preside over Pacquiao?s two-hour workout at a local gym owned by Rey Golingan.
?Tomorrow will be our first day of training for the Marquez fight,? Fernandez said yesterday after getting the call slip from Pacquiao the other day.
?Manny said he wants to train longer and harder for Marquez, and I?m glad to hear that directly from him,? he said.
Pacquiao arrived from a US vacation last Saturday and flew to his hometown yesterday. He will train there this week before leaving for the US before Jan. 15.
Pacquiao told The STAR he decided to train in Gen. Santos City because this way he can also catch up on his studies in the morning.
?I will go to class in the morning and work out in the afternoon. That?s my schedule this week,? said Pacquiao, taking up business management at Notre Dame in Gen. Santos City.
He said he doesn?t feel out of shape after the long holidays which included his birthday bash on Dec. 17 and trips to Boracay and the US with his entire family.
?I felt good when I worked out last Saturday at the Wild Card (in Para?aque) and when I ran in the morning last Sunday,? he said.
Pacquiao said he plans to fly to Los Angeles on or before Jan. 15 for the eight-week grind under American trainer Freddie Roach and Fernandez.
Pacquiao has exactly 68 days before he faces Marquez, the reigning WBC super-featherweight in a rematch set March 15 in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
The 29-year-old superstar was unfazed when told that Marquez is already in his second week of training in Mexico.
?It?s okay. I?ve always trained eight weeks for a big fight. It?s perfect for me,? he said, adding that he?s even a little ahead of schedule if he begins training this week.
